A Design and Ambiance Winner in Dallas has Great Food Too!

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McKinney, one of the fastest growing cities in Texas is located about 37 miles north of Dallas. In September 2014, Money magazine ranked it 1st place among the Best Places to live in the United States. It has an adorable downtown with plenty of great shops and restaurants, and it is there that we found Harvest. They specialize in farm to table cuisine with a seasonal kitchen. Such a wonderful trend that has taken our nation by storm!

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The unique styling and decor created a warm and inviting atmosphere. There were so many unusual displays and design features that I had to take some photos to share:

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What a cool light arrangement of a mixture of ropes and retro bulbs. The three artistic goat paintings below copied the rope theme on a rustic wood plank wall. Awesome!
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They elected to keep a separate theme in each room and it worked so well! The barren tree art and rustic chandeliers between each booth set off the used brick walls and achieved a warm comforting result. The gorgeous displays of pickled vegetables in jars were in both rooms and added a burst of natural color.
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On a wall towards the back of the restaurant, I found this charming display of dried lavenders and grasses. So cool!

The restaurant pays homage to their many local vendors and artisans on the back of their menu, listing every company from the charcuterie board maker to the mushroom purveyor. A wonderful way to support the people behind the scenes.

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The menu is broken into categories such as Greens & Grains, Ranch, Water, Ands to name a few. A clever way to present it. We started with one of their Smalls, the Ricotta Cornmeal Fritters made with acorn squash, apple cider reduction and fried sage. I love eating fried herbs as they add both flavor and crunch to a dish. The fritters were nice and crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, served on a cool wood plank.

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I felt the need for some greens so I tried their Serrano Caesar. Fresh romaine with a lightly spiced cilantro dressing topped with pepper jack cheese and adorned with large crunch pumpernickel croutons that were the bomb!

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For my main, from their Water category, I enjoy their Pan Roasted Red Fish with a carrot top pecan pesto, baby carrots, fennel and orange butter sauce. I love the idea that they utilized every part of the vegetable as in the pesto. The fish was delicate and delicious! (I didn’t finish it all that night and can attest that even as leftovers, it was wonderful)

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Other items ordered at our table were the Texas Wagyu Short Rib that was chipotle braised served over a squash gratin topped with cotija cheese and watercress. I had a bite and it was tender and luscious!

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Their Creole Pan Seared Shrimp was served over Carolina Gold dirty rice with spinach, celery and a baguette. There were compliments abound at our table as we all enjoyed our meals immensely!

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Literally too full for dessert, we ended our meal and were not surprised when the check came presented in a unique wooden holder! (the same vendor as the tables) So sad that I’m not close enough to come back and try their Winter Menu that begins on January 19th. I’m guessing it’s a winner too!

 

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